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How to Get a Pathology Fellowship
How to select a subspecialty *Decide what you like (obviously!) **Not always as easy as it sounds *Decide what you DON’T like **Just as important **http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNYHoI47fw0 *Diversify exposure to subspecialties early *Elective rotations early PGY-2 year (if possible) *Attend tumor boards/conferences *Sit in on sign out when you have free time Becoming a stellar applicant *Start early for competitive fellowships (Derm, GI, Heme) **If you change your mind later, you have lost nothing **BUT, if you wait to get started, it could be a problem *Publications (of course) **Start with case report in area of interest **Move on to bigger studies *Get Involved **Committees (national or hospital) show leadership skills **More ideas at our Get Involved page *Do Away Elective at Programs of Interest **If not possible, at least ask to visit for a day or so *NETWORKING! **The MOST important thing (in my opinion) **Get to know faculty in your subspecialty area of interest **Attend as many meetings, lectures, tumor boards, national meetings, etc as possible **Introduce yourself to people in the field ***Get to know them ***Add them to Facebook/Linked In (seriously!) ***Make a separate professional Facebook page if needed ***Email them after meeting/keep in touch ***Networking 101 Navigating the chaos of the fellowship application process *Timelines vary (sometimes drastically) **Possible Fellowship Match may change this (stay tuned) *Prepare and submit application early *Reserve enough time off for interviews *Fellowship Directory Sample timeline: *PGY-2: **Consider and research possible programs *Summer prior to PGY-3: **Prepare applications **Submit by early Fall (Note: deadlines VARY) *Fall/Winter of PGY-3: **Interview *Winter/Spring of PGY-3: **Offers made to applicants. **Again, timeframe varies dramatically program to program Prioritize list of programs you applied to **Make a mental ranking **Keep this in mind when scheduling interviews *Try to schedule interviews close together *Try to schedule most desired interviews early **Your first interview may offer you a position right away **You may have to decide before interviewing elsewhere **Difficult position to be in (a bird in the hand…) You have been offered a fellowship position! Now, should you accept it? *Don’t necessarily accept your first offer *OK to ask the director for some time to decide **Some may allow it, others not *Contact other programs as soon as you have received an offer **Let them know the time you have to decide **Tell them you are interested **Knowing you have an offer elsewhere may speed them up Ethical Advice *You DON’T have to volunteer info about where else (or to what other fields) you are applying, but… **Do NOT lie (about anything) **Pathology is a small world; you may regret it *Do NOT accept an offer and reneg on it once something better comes along (i.e. – better fellowship, job offer, etc) **Unprofessional (my opinion) **Creates hardship for program directors **Loss of trust and respect for all applicants Having a backup plan…what to do if you are not accepted *It’s NOT the end of the world **Get perspective ahead of time *Plan ahead if applying for competitive spot **Apply for a backup specialty **Good if backup specialty has overlap with specialty of choice (e.g. – soft tissue and derm) **Try to schedule these interviews later if possible Don’t Worry *It is a stressful process, but closing the deal on a great fellowship is a GREAT feeling! *Hang in there…you will be there soon.